UN Appoints Members Of Fact Finding Mission On Iran

The United Nations’ Human Rights Council has appointed the members of a recently established Fact-Finding Mission to review Iran’s rights violations during recent protests.

The council announced Tuesday that President Federico Villegas has appointed Sara Hossain of Bangladesh as the chair of the mission. Shaheen Sardar Ali of Pakistan and Viviana Krsticevic of Argentina are the two other members of the mission.

Earlier, the UN Human Rights Council president had said he believes the newly established fact-finding mission on Iran can make a difference.

Federico Villegas of Argentina expressed hope late November that Iran will cooperate.

Villegas had noted that the council is a multilateral and democratic body where differences of opinion are legitimate, raising hope that the Islamic Republic would cooperate to carry out the mission.

The UN Human Rights Council voted November 24 to launch an independent investigation into Iran's deadly repression of protests, that has killed around 500 civilians.

The motion passed with 25 votes in favor, six opposed and 16 countries abstaining amid an intensifying crackdown on protests after the death of Mahsa Amini which began in mid-September.

Iran has announced that it will not allow an independent investigation into the protests, similar to its refusal to cooperate with UN human rights rapporteurs for 30 years.

Many human rights organizations have criticized the Islamic Republic for not allowing the UN special rapporteurs since 1992 to visit the country.